Backlund, West Borough, inside the Odora family villa.
Emlyn White, summoned, removed his hat and coat and went into the living room to wait.
Besides him, there were several other Sanguine in the room whom the important figure had specifically requested to see. Emlyn looked around and then chose a seat, sitting down next to a man with a nose that was so high it was almost deformed.
The man had brown hair and red eyes, and a sharply defined face. He was holding a picture book and flipping through it aimlessly.
He was the Sanguine who had previously provided Emlyn with information about the abandoned castle in the center of the Delaire Forest; his name was Ernes Boyar, and he was a Viscount.
Emlyn had been planning to visit the Viscount in the next few days, but he hadn't expected to run into him here. After thinking carefully for a moment, he cautiously began to speak:
" Viscount Excellency, I know exactly where you obtained the information about the abandoned castle in the Delaire Forest?"
"What? Your customer told you there are no Ancient Evil Spirit there?" Ernes Boyar looked up from the catalog and glanced at Emlyn.
"No, no." Emlyn didn't explain, insisting on his previous question, "I'm just curious about the source of that information; it doesn't sound like it's that simple."
Ernes Boyar closed the sketchbook, nodded slightly, and said:
"This is no secret. I learned it from Lord Nibes. To be honest, I had never heard of such a thing before. It's hard to imagine that such a castle exists in the Delaire Forest."
Lord Nibes... Emlyn instinctively had an idea in his mind:
Another test...
But isn't this kind of probing too dangerous? We're even having to trouble Mr. " The Fool " to handle it... Emlyn frowned slightly, recalling some details he had considered before, and tentatively asked:
" Viscount Excellency, why don't you explore that castle yourself? I remember you're an Archaeologist, and you could also obtain extraordinary materials corresponding to Ancient Evil Spirit in the process."
Ernes gave Emlyn a strange look and said:
"Lord Nibes told me that it's dangerous there, and it's best not to go near unless you're a count."
Emlyn's mouth was half open, and his expression was somewhat blank.
He immediately suppressed his anger and said in a low voice:
Why didn't you remind me of this before?
Ernes chuckled and said:
Isn't this obvious?
"How could an extraordinary creature whose exact location and details are known to our Sanguine still exist without a special reason?"
Seeing Emlyn's somewhat bewildered expression, he added:
"The normal intelligence should be this: there may be Ancient Evil Spirit somewhere in the Delaire Forest. Some people have encountered them, but they cannot find the source of their existence."
"This means that finding those Ancient Evil Spirit is a very difficult and troublesome task, and the time cost is likely to exceed their value, which is why they have been able to survive until now."
"I thought you could easily spot the problem with that intelligence, and your customers would be just as quick to act; if they choose to take action, they must have the necessary confidence."
In an instant, Emlyn thought that Viscount Ernes's words made perfect sense and he couldn't refute them at all. He believed that it was because he and Miss " The Magician " were too foolish to have confronted the danger head-on, and that it had nothing to do with the other party.
In the second instant, Emlyn felt both ashamed and angry, filled with resentment towards himself.
In the third moment, Emlyn realized another problem:
"Regardless of whether the intelligence itself reveals any danger, Ernes Boyar should clearly state this, because clarifying the degree of danger, its source, and its manifestations is of paramount importance for subsequent exploration and is indispensable!"
He did it on purpose! Emlyn made his final judgment in his mind, his scarlet eyes narrowing slightly, and he raised his chin slightly as he said:
"Indeed, that's easy to see, but I'm more interested in knowing what dangers lurk in that abandoned castle."
Ernes picked up the blood-red tea beside him, took a sip, and said:
"I don't know either; Nibes didn't say."
Emlyn's expression darkened, and he was about to make a sarcastic remark when he suddenly saw Kasimi Odora enter the living room and look at him, saying:
" Emlyn, that important person wants you to see Him."
"Okay." Emlyn composed himself, pressed down on the lower half of his vest, and stood up slowly.
After descending the stairs to the underground area, he finally couldn't contain himself and asked in a low voice:
" Baron Kasimi, who exactly is this important figure? How should I address him?"
The middle-aged gentleman, Kasimi, no longer concealed anything and replied with a tone full of respect:
"Duke Omer."
Duke Omer... Emlyn instinctively straightened his back and turned his gaze to the lamp stand on the wall next to him, as if trying to check his appearance from the projection on the metal surface.
This is one of the three dukes who currently rule the vampire clan. He is an ancient and powerful figure who existed before the Great Catastrophe. His title is "Full Moon." He is over three thousand years old and once followed the progenitor Lilith!
Without a doubt, this is synonymous with the history and glory of the Sanguine!
After passing through a series of secret doors, Emlyn and Kasimi arrived at a large, iron-gray hall.
The ground and walls here are covered with grass, flowers and grains, and many insects crawl among the dense plants, making Emlyn feel as if he has left the city and come to the suburbs, feeling the vibrancy of life.
At first glance, the scene doesn't seem too strange, but upon closer inspection, many aspects are extremely odd:
On the grass, there are gaping mouths from which fibers fly out, capturing insects; flowers use their leaves as hands to gather nectar; wheat and other grains are heavy, and occasionally, wailing cries can be heard from within; the insects are of many kinds, all different from the norm, some with snake heads, others with bird faces...
These things flourished more and more towards the center of the hall, where they intertwined to form a vibrant tomb.
Kasimi faced the tomb and bowed respectfully, saying:
"Your Grace, Emlyn White has arrived."
"Good afternoon, Your Grace." Emlyn was not as haughty as usual, and even seemed a little flustered.
From within the grave, a deep, ageless voice chuckled:
"A very outstanding young Sanguine."
" Kasimi, you need to get out of here first."
"Yes, Your Grace." Kasimi bowed in response and left the iron-gray yet refreshingly clean hall.
Emlyn stood there, and heard the deep voice from within the tomb ask:
"This morning, Nibes said that you acquired the Beyonder Characteristic of an artificial Vampire corresponding to the rank of Viscount?"
"Yes, but it's contaminated and needs to be Purification first." Emlyn hadn't mentioned removing the mental contamination from the Beyonder Characteristic before because he believed it would be an easy task for Sanguine; at least Baron Kasimi had confirmed it was possible.
Sanguine Omer, the vampire, grunted in agreement.
"Very good, I will personally Purification that item."
He paused for a moment and then said:
"Although Sanguine are a long-lived race, they still grow old and age, and experience birth and death. Regardless, nurturing young members is essential for any race. You have recently demonstrated exceptional talent and outstanding abilities, making you one of our most valued individuals. Therefore, I have come to meet you personally to give you some tests so that you can grow as quickly as possible."
Exceptional talent and outstanding ability... Emlyn's chin lifted slightly again.
He immediately thought to himself:
Just as Mr. The Hanged Man predicted, there would be tests, tasks, and direct scrutiny...
Amidst the surge of emotions, Emlyn responded respectfully:
"I'm always ready."
"Not bad." Omer's deep voice echoed from the grave. "Your next task is to find the key members of the Rose School of Thought hidden in Backlund. There are few clues in this regard, and you will need to investigate many things yourself."
" The Rose School of Thought? Do they have a grudge against us Sanguine? They seem to have accepted some followers of the ' The Moon Primordial '?" Emlyn had actually learned quite a bit about the Rose School of Thought at the Tarot Club, but he deliberately concealed it and didn't show it much.
"Besides accepting the ' The Moon Primordial ' followers, they also possess a sacred artifact of our Sanguine, a relic left behind by our Progenitor. We must retrieve it." Omer's tone became more serious.
The Progenitor's legacy... a sacred relic of the Sanguine... Emlyn spoke without hesitation:
"Your Grace, I will make every effort to find important members of the Rose School of Thought in Backlund."
Omer's voice transitions to judo:
"Very good. Go to Kasimi later and get some intelligence to find a breakthrough."
Emlyn was already quite impatient, but he restrained himself and asked carefully:
"Your Grace, are you familiar with the abandoned castle in the center of the Delaire Forest?"
"You want to go there? That's dangerous," replied the Sanguine duke Omer from the tomb.
Emlyn didn't explain, but directly asked:
What kind of danger is it?
Omer chuckled:
That castle is perhaps older than me, and older than the Delaire Forest.
"I don't know who built it, I only know that something is sealed underground, hiding a great secret."
"Any creature that gets close to that place is in danger of being corrupted by its Depravity power. We once thought it was related to the Abyss, but a Devil that was thrown into the castle was also corrupted, turning from cold and cruel to insane and chaotic."
"Then why don't you try to break the seal and find out what's going on?" Emlyn muttered to himself, but didn't say anything.
Duke Omer, the Sanguine known as " Full Moon," said no more, ending the conversation and dismissing Emlyn from the hall.
As evening approached, dark clouds gathered over Backlund, and a light drizzle began to fall.
Emlyn, wearing a top hat, walked under the shaded arcade, his scarlet eyes fixed on Viscount Ernes Boyar, who was browsing an antique shop ahead.
He was annoyed that the other party had deliberately provided incomplete information, and after leaving Odora's house, he subconsciously began to stalk them.
But after walking for a while, he became confused again, because he hadn't figured out how to deal with Ernes, or to what extent he wanted to go.
P. S.: Requesting recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Monday!
PS2: I recommend a book, A Commoner's Sword Flows Eastward Along the Great River, written by an experienced author. It's a fantasy novel with a delicate touch, and the writing is excellent. Synopsis: He opened his eyes and saw the mysteries of this world. Fox demons, evil dragons, emperors, generals, Daoist magic, immortals! And also, the past and the future.